I often wish that my house was bigger. It doesn’t take much clutter to fill up the small rooms in my home and storage always seems to be in short supply even though practically every wall is covered with shelving and cupboards. In truth, I think I’m just trying to fit in too much stuff into a tiny space when I’d really love to achieve a feeling of spaciousness in spite the dimensions of the rooms. So I’ve been doing some research to find out ways that interior designers ‘trick’ you into thinking that a space is bigger than it actually is. But, of course, I’m on a thrifty budget so I wanted to investigate how to make a difference without spending a fortune so here are some tips to make your space work harder for you without needing to knock down walls or build an extension!
Making the most of a tiny space with fitted storage
Remove the clutter
Even some simple changes can bring dramatic changes in the overall look of your home. If you glance around your house with ‘decluttering’ eyes, you will spot many surplus items filling the room that have accumulated over the time. You can remove unwanted things and either pass them on to someone who will use them, donate to a charity shop or if it’s something you want to keep, pack it up in sturdy storage boxes and store out of sight in the loft or spare room. Decorative items that look good but also provide storage are the key to keeping your room neat, so keep an eye out for ottomans or coffee tables with drawers. And if you’re shopping online always look around for free delivery codes and ‘new customer’ discounts from voucher sites such as www.voucherbin.co.uk to save money on home furnishings using the codes and special offers listed.
Let the light in
The amount of natural light that enters the room can completely change the look of any room. A brightly lit room looks big and radiant while a room with heavy curtains blocking the light can make the room look dull. Swap the heavy-curtains for light colours or sheer voiles and you will be amazed at the difference.
Change the colour
Similarly the colour scheme of the room plays an important role in creating a feeling of spaciousness. A dark colour will create a more oppressive atmosphere, appearing smaller and more cluttered, while pastel shades will help reflect the light and the walls will recede. Changing the colour of a room is much less costly than knocking through walls to create space so, if you’re considering a bigger construction project, try freshening up the colour palette of your room before committing to a huge layout change.
Create a new view
Changing the arrangement of furniture in a room can help utilize the space more efficiently and create excess space. Consider moving pieces around and try out a variety of configurations before settling on a final spot for your furniture. When I first moved into my home, I took the biggest piece of furniture – the sofa – and tried it in every position in the room which enabled me to realize that there were only two suitable spaces for the sofa. I preferred the view out of window in the second spot so I arranged the rest of the furniture around the sofa to make best use of the space. Plus, sometimes removing a piece of furniture completely can give you better options in creating a new layout for the room so see if you have anything taking up space that you can live without.
Add decorative pieces
A great website for purchasing home décor items and other home renovation supplies at up to 50% off is Furniture Village who promise that their products are at the best available prices. This online store has a huge collection of living, dining and sleeping furniture so it’s a great place to pick up a few decorative pieces to add to your newly configured rooms. Here, you get almost every item you need to refurbish your house – even windows, flooring, lighting and garden furniture – so you’ll be sure to find a lamp, wall art or soft furnishings to make your new rooms even more inviting.
Let me know if you try out any of these tips for making your home even more spacious and beautiful on a budget – leave me a comment below or tweet me @Cassiefairy.
This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂
